“Which is not an argument for supporting Romney...”
No, it’s an argument against your statement that “This is why united conservatives could forge a party that would spell the end of the GOP” (i.e., your de facto argument in support of Obama’s re-election). By 2016? Maybe. In the next 6 months? Not even remotely realistic.
You would have to think your way through it, but there is a means for a solid conservative to make a legitimate run for the presidency this cycle.
At this point, I will probably hope for a miracle for Newt, but my fallback position is the Constitution Party. They are already on the ballot here in Ohio, and they’ve served notice in the state attorney race that they can get hundreds of thousands of votes.